Chapter 33: Official

I ran downstairs with tears running down my cheeks. We reached the first level, and I came across a metal door, then shook the heavy handlebar.

"Open this thing!" I asked in tears.

Max pulled me away while others shot at the lock, and I ran as soon as I saw it open. The forest received me again. I had been so upset that I had not noticed the windows, that we had been so high, or that we were in a facility on the city's wall.

Max's men readied their weapons, searching the forest for a target.

"Have they fallen elsewhere?" muttered Max.

"Stay alert in case that EH attacks!"

"He left," answered a voice, returning my soul to my body. We turned, and Sirius jumped down from one of the trees. "He ran off after falling."

"Sirius!" I screamed, running to him and hugging him tightly. "Why did you do that?!" I demanded to know, shaking him.

"Easy, I'm fine."

"You said you wouldn't leave me!" I exclaimed. "And you almost sacrificed yourself for me!"

"Hey," he said, surprised. "Your lady is always worth dying for."

I shook my head.

"Don't say that, don't say that!" I buried my face in his chest.

Another extremist teaching of his culture. However, I was still surprised by his dedication to me, capable of dying to protect me without even thinking about it. He had already covered me with his own body many times, I must have guessed, but I could not understand him. My life without him would not be the same. Didn't he take that into account?

"It's fine. I knew I was not going to die. That fall would not kill me if I knew how to fall. There were trees, too." I was relieved to know that he had at least calculated his actions. "I'm more concerned about you. I wouldn't have another second to save you if he caught up with you." He hugged me hard again. "Besides, you already know I wanted to break his face long ago."

I pulled away and sighed. I took and kissed his hand, cradled it on my cheek, and closed my eyes. He put his forehead to mine.

"We must go, lovebirds," Tania interrupted.

I looked at the others, and they were putting on their helmets. Max handed me one and to Rosy, too. We put them on, and they led us out while Acrux, Centauri, and his brother made the evolved people out into the forest to escape.

Guards were lying on the ground everywhere. I saw they had blown up the entrance. The security trucks were outside. The soldiers went to the other four trucks and their open cargo tails. I got in the back seat with Sirius and Rosy, Max behind the steering wheel, and Tania in the other front.

He started the engine, and we left. I noticed that we were in the western part of the city. I could see the wall. The Security building was attached to it.

I leaned against Sirius's shoulder and closed my eyes. We had already taken off our helmets because it was night. I put my arm across his chest, and he wrapped me around the shoulders. I settled better next to him, with relief washing over me.

***

Max pulled up outside the hospital.

"Well, it's been a long day," he commented, exhausted, "but we got what we wanted."

"Er..." I remembered another detail that would surely bring problems. "They took away our phones at the mayor's office, and they will surely use them to find us, apart from knowing our names," I warned worriedly.

"Oh, yeah, well. We've already blocked them, and we're next door, so you're safe," he replied. "We have information to sink them."

"Thanks for everything."

We got out of the truck and went into the hospital. John and Marcus ran to us.

"Crazy girls," Marcus scolded us. "How did you think to go alone?"

"It's my fault," I said. "I wanted to go."

"But are you at least okay?" asked John.

"Yes, for now." I turned to Sirius and took him by the arm. "Please, I want to see your wounds."

I made him sit on a gurney and unbuttoned his shirt. I sighed at the irony. I wanted to do this, but not because of having to heal him. He was looking at me attentively. His feline eyes penetrated to the depths of me, disarming me. I smiled sweetly at him.

"The fabric of the shirt is quite special," I commented.

"Yes. That's what Max said, and I already confirmed it." He smiled. "Altair would have ripped my flesh if it hadn't been for this cloth."

My lips tightened. It was a relief, but still, the idea haunted me. The fangs had penetrated, causing the bleeding, and now he had two huge bruises where the bites were. I took his face and kissed his forehead.

"You'll be fine," I whispered.

He tilted his face as he moved closer, gently pressing his lips to mine. I adored the way he initiated a kiss. Somehow, it felt so pure that I couldn't resist. I took hold of his upper lip while he possessed my lower lip, and someone cleared his throat, making me react and separate myself from him.

"Well, it's time to sleep," Marcus commented.

I shook my head. How annoying. Sirius quickly adjusted his shirt, pulling it up to his shoulders, and got off the gurney.

"Good evening," he said to those who were watching us.

I waved goodbye to them while Sirius took my other hand, and we left. I could see that Rosy was smiling mischievously. Would she think I would do things with Sirius tonight? No. He needed to rest. I laughed silently; Rosy didn't change.

We entered our room. I turned on the two lamps on the nightstands on the side of the bed. It was the first time I had done it, and it looked better than the ceiling light, so I decided to leave it that way.

"Do you like me to shower first?" my young lover asked me.

I turned to look at him. Yes, he would look like a lover, with his shirt open, if it were not for the fact that he was wearing some bandages and bloodstains. I chuckled and nodded.

While he was showering, I checked the closet. He already had several security uniform shirts and pants, a helmet, shoes, and weapons. We belonged to two entirely different things: he, to the city defense forces, and I, to a laboratory, to quiet investigations.

I stroked one of the shirts. I didn't care. I loved him like that. Although, I still wished I had another kind of life with him, one in which he no longer had to fight. After the scare of death I had received, I wanted to run away from everything.

***

I exited the shower, and he was lying on the bed waiting for me. I would have thrown myself on him if it weren't because he was in pain. Now I had to wait for tomorrow. I lay beside him, and he wrapped his arms around me, close to his body. I smiled. This was my paradise, but I still felt myself shaking because of everything that had happened. He caressed my face, noticing it.

"How did you guys find us?" I asked.

"I told Max I wanted to see you and the reason. He thought it was dangerous, and when we saw in your message that you had already left, he asked me to call you. He put on the speaker to listen." He began to stroke my hair. "You don't know the anguish I felt when I realized you were in danger. Max said the west exit building was closer to the city hall, so he called some friends and confirmed that you had been taken there."

"I see." I moved my face against his warm, bare chest, caressing him with my cheek. "Thank you... I had come to think that I would not see you anymore..." He kissed my forehead. I liked it when he did it. Any show of affection from him to me was like taking a sip of the elixir of life or something. "I thought life wanted to take more things away from me. I thought about my parents... Tomorrow, could you tell Max to let you go?"

"Of course."

"I have decided to start the life I want with you. It doesn't matter if we are here. I will not wait. I want to spend more time with you."

"Don't worry. I will always protect and pamper you." I smiled and sighed again. Finally, I felt safe and happy. "Tomorrow, you will be my date." His voice flooded me, vibrating every inch of my body. "Forgive me for making you cry. Seriously, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry. I just can't stand the idea of ​​losing you. Besides, I was already quite upset by everything that had happened to me. I should have deduced that you knew how to fall like a cat," I murmured with a slight smile and closed eyes.

"Tell me," he continued. "What exactly did Rosy mean when she said you were almost abused? Did they hurt you? Did they hit you?"

"N-no, well, a little. Don't worry. It's over. They didn't do anything serious to us."

"What did they do to you?"

I sighed. "They tried to... touch us." He tensed up right away. "But it didn't happen, don't worry."

"How dare they?" I noticed the anger in his soft voice. "With what permission?"

I looked and smiled sweetly at him. His eyebrows were no longer together with anger, barely relaxing.

"Hey." I kissed him. "It didn't happen. I put up a good fight, I think. I wouldn't let any other man other than you touch me. First dead."

He let out a frustrated sigh and kissed and hugged me tightly.

"I don't understand... What kind of values ​​do they teach you here?" he murmured, caressing my cheek, his serious gaze distressing me. "You should have told me."

"You would have killed him."

He blinked a few times, thinking.

"...Yes, maybe. But not on purpose." I laughed softly and went back to kiss him. "Forgive me," he whispered. "Don't think bad of me. It's just that I can't assimilate it."

"I understand. Nothing happens, okay? You gave everyone what they deserved, including those mistreating the evolved people, and you protected me from Altair. You are already my hero; you don't need to worry about things that have not happened. I am grateful that I am with you after all."

He thought for a couple more seconds and smiled slightly.

"Am I your hero?" he asked, happy with himself. "I feel like a better person now."

I chuckled.

"My love, you are a good person." I kissed him gently and intensely. I already wanted him to be well enough to spend at least one day of peace with him. "How are you? About what Altair said about your mom."

He frowned slightly but breathed in and out, calming down.

"I don't know. I mean, I get it. Apparently, my mom was going to join Orion, but she refused to join my father, which caused the leading elders to punish her by giving me to Orion at a certain age so that he would be my tutor and thus us not be exiled or who knows what." He frowned again.

"I'm sorry."

He looked at me with concern.

"Hey, no, don't worry about me. I'm fine. I worry more about you." He gave me a couple of kisses in a row, making me smile. "I am glad you are here with me. I can't do anything about what has already happened. Besides, thanks to that, I know my father's trade, and I was also trained as a warrior, and not everyone receives that training. Plus, if none of that had happened, I wouldn't have met you."

That was true. We could not change anything anymore, and at the same time, I was grateful to have met him. Now I knew more about his life, too.

"If I knew that all this was going to happen, I would have kissed you that day when I spoke to you for the first time," I commented, and he smiled, too. "What would have you done?" I wanted to know with curiosity.

"Wow. I don't know, but not stopping you, that's for sure. I think I told you you caused me something when I met you. I liked you since I saw you."

I had already realized that he also caused me something since I saw him as if I somehow recognized the one who would be the love of my life. I kissed him more. "Good night," I whispered. "Tomorrow, you will be mine all day."

Maybe I was clingy; this had never happened to me, but I didn't care. I kissed him softly until I fell asleep, exhausted from so much crying and everything that had happened to me.

***

I woke up again with his caresses; he was sweet in his own way, and I loved it. I repeated goodbye with a soft and intense kiss and then went to the laboratory to take the day off since I had obviously been unable to do it before.

There, Rosy attacked me with questions while examining the reactions of the EH cells before various substances. She seemed to be doing quite well already. It relieved me.

"Did Acrux seem confused when I hugged him?"

"Well, not everyone is going to react the same. Most evolved are not very sentimental. There are no displays of affection in their society, and they don't know what love is. They hardly feel things like that. Acrux doesn't even remember who he was, so take it easy, little by little. Anyway, he was trying to calm you down, and that's nice."

She smiled cheerfully again.

"It is, right? It still doesn't matter if he doesn't like me. Even if it is, I would like to be his friend."

I smiled and shook my head.

"I think they are like cats," Marcus commented. "They have a reputation for being cold and even hate you, but that is not true, huh? My cat is the most clingy and lovable thing on earth, but he becomes a demon when he goes to the vet." We laughed. "What about your Anthony?"

I barely blushed.

"Er... yeah, I first wondered if he could even feel anything for me. I thought he would be cold... but he's quite affectionate, to tell the truth, more than anyone I've ever met."

"Are you filling your absence on the chart?" Rosy asked suddenly.

"I will have a date with him," I mumbled happily, feeling like I was smiling like a fool.

She gave a short hiss of exclamation.

"You fell head over heels in love. Didn't you say that he was younger than you, that you didn't have time for love, and so on?" I laughed a little. "By the way," she continued, "What was all that verbiage with that strong EH with whom he fought?"

"He was one of those who held me captive for a few days. They didn't know that Sirius would betray them and save me."

"If the other one is as big as that one, he's in trouble," she assured, somewhat worried.

I sighed.

"For now, I try not to think about that." I finished filling out the form and submitted it. "Ready. Don't wait up for me, huh?" I said happily before leaving.

***

I went to my room to get a touch-up. I had not used makeup for a long time, and although I always used little or nothing, I wanted to look different since it was a special day. Also, I put on the prettiest soft pink blouse. I had let my hair down, put on a pair of earrings, and... sexy pants? I didn't know, but I hoped my eyes were not lying.

After I finished, I realized the shower should not have been working when I distractedly entered the room. I approached, and the door opened. It was Sirius, and I was surprised. He smiled and looked so hot. He was just wearing jeans, and his hair was still damp.

"Haven't you been to see Max yet?"

"I did it to tell him, but I ran away after a while," he explained, and I giggled, shaking my head as I approached him to hug him, feeling the warm yet fresh skin of his naked torso. "I put on a shirt, and we go, okay?" he asked, pulling away but stopping when he sniffed something. "Did you put something in your eyes?" he wondered, looking carefully.

I chuckled. Of course, an ordinary boy would praise me, but he would sniff me.

"It's eyeliner."

"Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I wanted to look prettier for you."

Apparently, I caused him endearment. He hugged me, kissing my forehead.

"I always see you beautiful," he assured. "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen."

I bit my lower lip and smiled, closing my eyes. His sweet compliment was so in his own way. He parted away to see me again and fiddled with one of my earrings, which caught his attention and distracted him again.

"Come on, wild cat," I said, smiling.

As I left the hospital, I saw a black car with Security Guard signs on the door. I stared at it in surprise and confusion, especially when Sirius approached and the car locks were automatically deactivated.

"My driving license is still pending, and then I have to learn how to do it," he said, "but you do have it, right?"

It took me a few seconds to react.

"I had forgotten they would give you one." I approached, excited.

He opened the door for me, and I got in. After he got inside, I started the engine and raised my eyebrows at the car's sound, purring softly for being electric.

"Wow. You are quite a security officer, huh?" I said, making him smile. We left the parking lot and headed towards the avenue. "But if Max gets angry at you for escaping, he could take it away from you," I added after a while.

I saw out of the corner of my eye that he shrugged.

"He can't control me. Besides, so he'll learn to shut up," he muttered with a frown. "Actually, both of them. Max and Tania."

I frowned, too. Had those two dared to tease him?

"Did they tell you something?" I asked, unable to avoid showing my annoyance.

He relaxed his face and glanced at me. Then, he looked back to the front and started explaining, "Max kept saying that what you and I have can't exist..." I felt my annoyance increase. How dare he? "And Tania says we don't have documents that make our union official, so I can't refuse to go out with women if I'm attracted to one. Max supported her." His eyebrows raised again, slightly annoyed. "What do they think I am to think I would be interested in dating other women? I don't even want to have someone other than you around, much less go out," he pronounced those words with particular emphasis as if they were illogical and ridiculous.

I smiled.

"And then you ran away from there?"

"Yes." Now, he sounded more relaxed. "Not without first growling at them and telling them I don't want someone else around. Only you are allowed to come up and touch me."

I couldn't help but smile again.

"Don't think about it anymore. What we have is much more official than what you can have here. Here, it is made and undone with a simple signature. Things are not like before."

His lips curved into a slight smile.

"Well... You know it's not like that in my world. When I went to get my things, I heard that Acrux explained what this ring meant." He observed his ring, "Eternity," he muttered after diverting his deep gaze to mine.

I looked at his face, and he looked at me, too, enveloping me with those intense green eyes. I blushed and smiled at him. The car started to slow down, and I turned my eyes to the front. I had been distracted, and the car's sensor had detected the other car's proximity ahead, activating the automatic brake to avoid a collision. It was almost impossible to crash or exceed the speed limits these days.

"I love you, Sirius," I whispered as I retook control of the car. "You make me too happy."

"You make me happy," he replied with his soft and seductive deep voice.

He was watching me while I was driving. I could tell he had a sweet smile. He caressed my cheek with the back of his hand, making me smile. He moved aside my hair, then went back to playing with my earring, making it move with his pointed fingernail, and I chuckled. Maybe I should have worn an earring that didn't hang, but I loved that he did that.

I left the highway and continued a little-traveled road surrounded by vegetation. I turned to the right, entering an almost empty parking lot in front of a huge field surrounded by an elegant white fence. Sirius saw the name of the place in the archway at the entrance.

"Cemetery," he whispered.

"Here are my parents," I said softly. He looked at me, and I smiled so he would not worry. "Let's go."

We got out of the car and went inside. I walked the field with him; he covered his nose a little. It confused me, but I immediately assumed what was happening.

"Has anyone been buried recently?" I commented.

"Yes, maybe four days ago or less," he replied, stopping covering his nose after a while.

It was lucky that I could not detect any of that. I took his hand, and we continued. We arrived at the grave of my parents. A large marble tombstone with their names stood on it.

"They would be happy to see that I have you and that their theory that you were more than just wild beings was true..." I muttered. "Despite what happened to them." He squeezed my hand a little, and I continued, "That is why I agreed to start the investigation with the toxin. The government insisted so much on me. I didn't want to do it because I respected my parents' idea." I sighed. "But when they died, I thought it wasn't worth continuing to defend that idea."

"It's logical. I understand," he muttered.

"They were brought here. They told me they were unrecognizable and that seeing their bodies was no use. I didn't see them. I was devastated, so I didn't care anymore. Now I think I regret it."

"You know? In my town, we believe that our relatives don't leave us after death. It's just a trip," he said. "While the essence cares for us, matter transforms, returns to earth, and then returns to us in nature."

I smiled slightly and leaned my head on his arm. Suddenly, he seemed to react, squatted down, and frowned slightly.

"What's going on?"

"I can't detect any corpse smell here..."

I barely smiled again.

"It happened a long time ago, remember?"

"Yes, but..." He knelt and brought his nose closer to the grass. I looked to the sides to ensure the cemetery was still as empty as it was. "I don't even detect the smell of bones... nothing, just wood."

I raised my eyebrows, confused. How could that be possible?

"Have they been buried somewhere else? No... How can it be? Here's the tombstone... How can it be?" I was a little troubled.

He stood up.

"Easy," he said, worried.

I shook my head.

"Don't worry, sorry... it's something extraordinary."

"I know..." He sighed. "Come..."

He held me tight, and I closed my eyes, calming down almost immediately.

"I will investigate what happens here later," I whispered.

"Let me know, please. I don't want you to go unprotected," he ordered with a sweet tone.

I nodded and took a deep breath, filling me with his scent.

"I'm almost sure now that maybe the attack was caused by the same government controlling those evolved men. Maybe later they didn't want any evidence," I said. "Maybe they have done something... well. I'll find out, as you said... My parents are still with me."

"So is," he assured me, stroking my hair and comforting me. "You also have me. You can tell me everything, whether you are happy or sad. "You can count on me for everything you want to do. Also, in due course, you will be able to count on my parents. The family nucleus is vital to us; they will care for you like a daughter because you are my eternal companion."

"For real? They liked me, right?" I asked, amused.

"Of course. My mother that day told me you smelled like a good person." I chuckled. "And that she was happy that I had followed my heart. She said I would discover beautiful things with you, and she was right." I remembered his mother had advocated for us to have Sirius join me, and his father had also accepted me. "Although I did not meet them in life..." he continued, "Your parents are important to me too, so don't worry. We're not going to overlook this, okay?"

I nodded. I held on to him for several minutes, letting him erase the pain again. But the morning was advancing, and people were beginning to arrive.

"Let's go?" I murmured against his chest. "I'm going to show you more of this city, okay?" I looked at him with joy, kissed him, took his hand,d and left.

I drove downtown, and we left the car in one of the parking buildings. Sirius had to put on his sunglasses. Still, with the Security Guard acronym embroidered on his shirt pocket, no one would approach to ask questions.

We walked some streets, enjoying the city, the bustle, and the smell of restaurants and bars. I sighed happily, feeling like an ordinary girl walking with her man. I noticed that some women looked at him more than necessary, and I understood that he had that bearing that characterized him and was attractive. I was holding his strong arm, and he hid his hands in the front pockets of his pants. 'Those pointed nails,' I complained in my mind.

"Where are we headed?"

"Well... I told you things are not so official here, but I still want to do it." I looked at him. "We will make our union official here."

He smiled.

"For real? Are you sure?"

I chuckled as he circled my waist, leaning down to kiss me.

"Yes, I am sure," I said, wrapping around his neck and receiving his tempting lips that threatened to drag me into the fire.

"Uhm. I don't know," he purred, giving me more kisses. "You're going to have me for life."

"That's perfect." I kissed him on the tip of his nose. "Come on. We're close."

We kept walking. I was amused to see that he had learned to play and joke. He was adapting quickly. However, I knew it would not be difficult for me to adapt to his world, except for not showing my love in public. However, I didn't know if he would abide by that rule since he loved kissing me and being in contact with me as much as I did.

I suddenly slowed down a bit when crossing an ice cream shop. It had been a long time since I had eaten one.

"Do you want to try it?" he asked, making me smile.

Always attentive to my movements.

"Yes, can you wait for a few seconds?"

"Wait." He looked to the sides and took a card out of his pocket. "It's my turn."

I chuckled.

"Well," I replied, "but I swipe it through the machine." I showed him my fingers to make him understand that I was referring to his pointed nails that would scare people away.

"Oh... sure," he murmured.

We went to the table that was furthest from the gaze. Sirius told me they did something similar in his city, but without milk, extra sweets, or other things. I took some of his ice cream with the spoon, which he still didn't dare to taste, and held it out. He looked at me, confused, and I laughed a little.

"Try it..."

He opened his mouth, and I gave him the ice cream. He smiled, somewhat embarrassed.

"Umm, it's delicious," he accepted with his beautiful smile.

He took the spoon and began to eat.

"These ice creams are supposed to be natural," I informed, "so there's not much of a problem. I wouldn't want to be the one to blame for some kind of poor diet of you." He gave a short laugh. "Are they giving you enough protein where you train?"

"Yes, don't worry." He was happy.

"Well, if not, let me know to complain," I threatened, making him laugh.

People were distracted; no one turned to look at him carefully to notice anything, and he was turning his back on them. That way was better; he didn't need to be with the glasses, and I could see directly into his intense eyes.

Nothing was better than feeling free and being with him, dreaming of always being like this in a world of peace.